Chapter 37

I turn off the TV and the Blu-ray player, but I don’t get up. I sink deeper into the couch, staring at the black TV screen as though I’m expecting it to provide me with answers. And I listen to the familiar sounds coming from the bathroom. The shower running. The toilet flushing. The buzz of the electric toothbrush.

One thing I can’thear is his off-key humming of his current favorite nineties grunge song—these last few weeks it’s been “Black” by Pearl Jam and I’m really getting fed up with that song and hope he’ll pick a new favorite soon—that usually accompanies his evening routine.